The lion’s den
Investors are won over by three out of five start-ups
Moritz Simsch (left) and Sebastian Jung tackle the plastic problem with their soap tablet.
© TVNOW / Bernd-Michael Maurer
In episode four of “Die Höhle der Löwen” five new start-ups present their ideas. Three of them go home with a deal.
Five start-ups will present Judith Williams (49, “How dreams learn to fly”), Dagmar Wöhrl (66), Carsten Maschmeyer (61), Ralf Dümmel (54), Nico Rosberg (35) and Nils Glagau (45) this week “The Lion’s Den” her ideas. With a deal, only three go home in episode four of the ninth season. Two of them impress with products from the field of sustainability.
Judith Williams invests in “Sause” soap tablet
Right from the start everything revolves around the topic of plastic reduction. Banker and mechanical engineer Moritz Simsch (32) and chemist Sebastian Jung (31) produce vegan tablets in an old butcher’s shop, which, in combination with water, turn into liquid soap. With their start-up “Sause”, the two friends, who have been committed to the environment since childhood, are declaring war on unnecessary plastic waste in the bathroom. Their pH-skin-neutral product, which consists of natural raw materials, is already available in two types of fragrance and completely fragrance-free for allergy sufferers.
With a retail price of 6.90 euros for ten tablets, the founding duo has made almost 3,000 euros in sales so far – too little, as the Lions unanimously agree. Georg Kofler also feels the company rating of “Sause” is “too high”, which is why he fits in immediately. However, Ralf Dümmel recognizes “huge potential”, which is why he, like Dagmar Wöhrl and Judith Williams, would like to invest. After a brief telephone consultation, the two founders then decide in favor of the 200,000 euro offer from beauty entrepreneur Williams – for 20 percent of their company shares.
“Beer crust” baking mix comes out empty, the AI app “Werksta.tt” grabs the lion Carsten Maschmeyer
Ines Pfisterer (28) has invested a lot of time since 2017, but with only 1,000 euros, relatively little money in her “beer crust” baking mix. The sales manager, who has been baking since childhood and now gives baking courses, among other things, combines two of Germans’ favorite foods with her product – bread and beer. With the help of a lion, she hopes to be able to expand the range of her “foolproof” baking mix – thanks to 80,000 euros for 25 percent of the company’s shares. The retail price of 6.90 euros each and the lack of maturity of the start-up do not convince investors, however, and “Bierkruste” remains without a deal.
With “Werksta.tt” Justus Lauten (31) also tackles the topic of bread, rolls and co. The computer scientist wants to put an end to food waste in bakeries. His solution: An app that enables company processes to be optimized through the use of artificial intelligence. Georg Kofler is immediately enthusiastic and ready to make 120,000 euros for 20 percent of the company’s shares. But Carsten Maschmeyer also sees great potential in the 31-year-old and his team of four and makes an offer. The race goes to 61-year-old Maschmeyer – Lauten’s dream investor right from the start.
Founder invested her entire inheritance in “lucky loop” – but remains without a deal
The mother of two Mariam Vollmar (53) wants to conquer several markets at once, including those for children’s products and automobiles. But what is “lucky loop”, which was created in cooperation with two universities, all about? The lions are initially at a loss. The explanation of the copywriter, who “always liked to think up things”, follows promptly. She has developed a technology that simulates healthy sitting in a riding saddle and prevents the consequences of sitting for too long. It is already built into several products, including a children’s buggy.
Vollmar has already invested her entire legacy of almost 1.7 million euros in her company and product development. Nevertheless, she wants another 650,000 euros from the lion round for 15 percent of the company’s shares. Nico Rosberg, however, lacks meaningful studies and Georg Kofler feels the valuation of 4.3 million euros is too high – especially in view of the fact that “lucky loop” is not yet on the market and there is no concrete business plan. The other investors see it similarly and also deny the 53-year-old a deal.
“Pinky” fills an obvious niche in the market
The founders of “Pinky”, the self-proclaimed “women who understand” André Ritterswürden and Eugen Raimkulow (both 32), met in 2007 while working for the Bundeswehr. As residents of a mixed flat share, they came up with the idea of making life easier for women and developed a glove for disposing of hygiene items. With it, tampons and co. No longer represent an obstacle to flexible leisure activities. Now the duo really wants to do it in terms of sales and marketing with a strong lion at their side, who ideally contributes 30,000 euros for 20 percent of their start-up shares “To give gas”.
Especially the fair price of 2.99 euros per pack as well as the appealing design and the innovative nature of “Pinky” immediately convince all five investors. Ralf Dümmel is visibly astonished that “nobody has thought of it yet”. But he and Nils Glagau also want to invest because of the more than “fair valuation”. In the end, the “Pinky” team, Ritterswürden and Raimkulow, decided on the 54-year-old Dümmel.